"Into the water and out of trouble"

Cape Town boasts many private initiatives from people who are trying to make a difference for those who live in the poorer areas of the city. One of them is Gary Kleynhans, a former South African surf champion. He now teaches others to ride the waves. For the past four years Kleynhans´ been giving township kids the oppertunity to experience surfing.

Gary's Surf School is situated in beautiful Muizenberg, on the False Bay coast, 15 kilometres from the centre of Cape Town.

Kleynhans has been teaching kids to surf for the past twelve years. Until six months ago, when he opened his shop, he drove to Muizenberg every day with a trailer loaded with surfboards. Kleynhans explains that there were always some black kids hanging around the parking area next to the beach.

"During one of our conversations I asked them if they would like to surf. They told me that the equipment was too expensive for them, so I invited them for a free lesson. The first time three guys showed up, the week after eight and at one stage there were about sixty kids who wanted to surf standing in front of me", he explains with a broad smile.

Because of the success of this project Kleynhans decided to contact the primary schools in the area to invite more kids and to get some soortstructure into the number of kids showing up every day.

Currently about 50 kids are participating in his 'transformation programme for previously disadvantaged kids'. In total hundreds of children from the disadvantaged areas have learnt to surf.

Kleynhans has a strict way of selecting the kids. "The first three times they only get a board and when they are still enthusiastic come back for more I'll give them a wetsuit and he or she can stay", Gary said.

Most of the kids are coming from Muizenberg and the nearby townships of Ocean View, Masiphumilele and Mitchell's Plain. Gary only gives surf lessons to tourists on the weekends, during the week he focuses on his school and the township kids. Each day he collects the kids and gives free lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays. "I also try to teach the talented kids to become a teachers, so they can take over my work and I can give them a job. I´ve already employed two of the guys in my surf-school, but my final goal is to start a factory for making and repairing surfboards, this is a way to create jobs for them."

"A big problem in Cape Town is petty theft. This springs from the fact that many youngsters grow up without proper education and oppertunities their lives. With my project I try to get them into the water and out of the trouble."

Money is always a problem on these type of projects. And that's not different this time. "I would like to take some kids and a trailer with surfboards and drive down the Garden Route to visit all the townships on the coast and literally get them on board as well." Gary is trying to get funding from organisations in England and the United States because attempts in South Africa were unsuccessful.

But Gary does not only give surf lessons. "In fact they are lessons in life. We talk about what they want to be in the future. Also social matters are subject of conversations. For us that is normal, but you have to keep in mind that these kids had a different childhood."

This project is the little part of what I can do in the big picture. The kick to see those kids riding the wave is the biggest reward for my work!"